Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Behind the Nike Project

First off I just wanted to say WOW!!! Holy cow, I didn't expect such an amazing response to this project! Thank you EVERYONE in Internetland and beyond! Here is a quick peek at some in progress images.

Right after the Nike Project was confirmed I did a little dance and got right to work. I started by making a few sketches and peeling crayon labels. The peeling process has become somewhat meditative. If I ever end up in an asylum I'll be the girl in the corner rocking back and forth peeling crayon labels. Wonder Woman was also there to cheer me on.

I made a few partially carved samples including this one. I wanted to focus on the shoes (naturally), grass texture and the figure's movement. I've always carved standing figures, this was my first attempt at carving more dynamic movements. There's only so much you can do within the physical borders of a crayon, but I wanted to see how much I can allude to.

No, they're not spooning...
This was also my first time making multiples of one figure. Next to the major time crunch making multiples was my biggest challenge. I made a "master" carving and used it as reference for all of the other copies. I would draw guidelines from one figure to the next and quickly rough out an approximation. After all of the major parts were in place it was only a matter of refining the details. The details take time, but it's not as nerve-racking.

A friend once compared my carved crayon surface to the facets of a crystal.
Here's what W+K's got to say. There goes my secret of outsourcing to gerbils! :P

Diemin the photo, are those the tools you actually used? Your detail work is extraordinary. I know this because I was inspired by your work and carved a few crayons myself. Thanks for this blog post. I guess i'd better subscribe so i don't miss anything else!